start them early is what I say!

With a little help from the team, I finally uncorked my Richeson Baby Press.  ta da.  It is an 11” table top press that weighs quite a bit.  It took about a minute to set up then some worry, squirming and calls to the help desk to figure out that the plate was wonky.  Luckily I had two, so I put in the second one and phew, it worked.  Upon later inspection my art partner, Joe (yes, the ever patient Joe from Daniel Smith is now making house calls) determined that the first plate was just slightly bigger than the second.  Even so, the second plate needs a wiggle now and then but it doesn’t affect the output at all.

Next, trying it out.  Miss R was home sick so out came the art supplies.  Rosie drew, then carved an Egyptian Mantis sitting on the head of a pin.  I showed her how to mix and roll out the ink.  Then with a little bit of magic… a print.

Technical details:    

I’m using water soluble Daniel Smith printmaking inks at home.  These make clean up really easy (although just in case Derick bought covers for our new dining room chairs).   Speedball makes a nice selection of inks as well, but you have to use more ink and work it well with a palette knife to get a good texture (but the price is right if you are new and just want to try things out).

Miss R is using Safety-Kut blocks from Daniel Smith because they are easier to carve and I think I’ve mentioned before, much much cheaper than other brands but better quality for carving.